A site devoted to a mixed bag of topics, with an emphasis on professional and amateur sports in Regina, Saskatchewan. We also preview the weekly lineup of guests for the Locker Talk on Access 7 tv sports talk show.

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

With U.S Thanksgiving just around the corner, it's time to resurrect this clip - from the funniest episode of one of the all-time great sitcoms. After almost two decades in broadcasting, I can safely say I've worked with every character on this show - Herb especially. Lots and lots of Herb Tarlecks. Click on the bottom right corner to get the full screen effect.

Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Kerry Joseph is the west division nominee for the CFL's Most Outstanding Player award. Congrats KJ! The official list of award finalists (as provided by the CFL head office) is below.

2007 ROGERS CFL PLAYER AWARDS FINALISTSDivision Winners Announced

Toronto, ON (October 31, 2007) –The Canadian Football League (CFL) announced today the finalists for the 2007 Rogers CFL Player Awards. The players below were selected by a voting panel comprised of members of the Football Reporters of Canada (FRC), representing eight CFL markets and a national chapter and the CFL head coaches. Voters were asked to select players from their local CFL division who, through on-field performance excellence, best represent the awards’ title – Outstanding Player, Outstanding Canadian Player, Outstanding Defensive Player, Outstanding Offensive Lineman, Outstanding Rookie and Outstanding Special Teams Player. The 2007 Rogers CFL Player Awards will be announced during Grey Cup week on Thursday, November 22 at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto. The evening will be produced by Second City as a Tribute to John Candy, and hosted by legendary comedian Dan Aykroyd. Tickets are still available with prices starting at $150 and are available by calling (416) 408-GREY or 1 (866) 95TH-CUP. Below are the East and West Division nominees:

Sunday, October 28, 2007

That's the sound of the Regina Pats' 5-game winning streak coming to an abrupt halt. The Pats were dismantled 7-3 by the visiting Prince Albert Raiders Saturday night. Regina's Jordan Eberle had another strong night, notching two goals and an assist. The Raiders were led offensively by former Pat Ryan MacDonald, who beat Pats netminder Linden Rowatt three times.

I don't know, maybe it was the pink jerseys they were wearing, but the Pats played with all the grit and aggressiveness of the high school chess club in this game. I suspect the winning streak caused some of the players to think they could cut a few corners and still cruise to victory. In that sense, the loss could turn out to be a valuable wakeup call. Let's hope so, anyway.

Friday, October 26, 2007

A lot of backups could see significant playing time for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Edmonton tonight. By the time the game kicks off, the Riders will know if they still have a shot of passing B.C. for top spot in the CFL's west division. Mind you, that will require the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to play their best game of the year, and somehow beat the Lions in tonight's early game. Technically possible, but...

So, tonight could be an opportunity to give some starters a little rest. We already know reserves will be playing for the walking wounded - the list of injured Riders includes Mo Lloyd, Reggie Hunt, Yo Murphy, James Johnson, Wes Cates, Chris Szarka, and of course Matt Dominguez. Matt D. is slated to have his injured knee operated on in Saskatoon today. Here's hoping that goes well.

There's plenty on the line for the Eskimos, however. Edmonton needs a win to stay alive in the hunt for a crossover berth into the east division playoffs. The opportunity to eliminate the Schmoes from playoff contention for a second year in a row should be all the inspiration the green guys need - Lord knows John Lynch will be ecstatic!

Tomorrow night, the Jakester and I wander down to the Brandt Centre to catch the Pats and P.A. Raiders in the second game of a home-and-home series. It's a great opportunity for the Pats to put a little distance between themselves and the other teams in the WHL's east division.

Monday, October 22, 2007

A preposterous question? Maybe. But, while many people consider the diminutive Flutie one of the best - if not the best - players to ever toil in the CFL, Joseph is on the verge of breaking one of Flutie's records.

Joseph ran for two touchdowns in yesterday's 38-11 victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. That gives him 13 rushing touchdowns on the season. The CFL single season record for quarterbacks, held by Flutie, is 14. Now, if I had told you at the start of the year that Kerry Joseph was going to break one of Flutie's CFL records, would you have believed me?

Actually, if he keeps playing the way he has the past couple of months, KJ is going to make believers out of a LOT of people!

Sunday, October 21, 2007

The Saskatchewan Roughriders disposed of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 38-11 at Mosaic Stadium this afternoon. That's the Riders' 4th straight win, and improves their record to 11-5 on the season. Who would have thought?

Corey Holmes was outstanding on offense for the green guys, notching well over a hundred yards (running and receiving) and one touchdown. Kerry Joseph had another strong game, passing for over 250 yards and one touchdown - and running for two more scores - in just over one half of work.

On defense, Reggie Hunt was terrific. The Reaper was around the ball all afternoon. Rookie defensive lineman John Chick continues to improve, and had another strong game.

Perhaps most impressive about today's game: Rider 2nd and 3rd stringers got opportunities to play on both sides of the ball, and the result was never in doubt. All those substitutes made for some less than sparkling football at times, but it allowed the first-team guys some much-needed rest heading into the home stretch of the season.

The only downside: Jacob and I had to listen to the last 10 or so minutes of the game on the radio in the Escape. My boy was hanging in there pretty well when the rain started, but when the rain briefly turned to hail - he decided we needed to get the "hail" out of there!

Friday, October 19, 2007

The following email exchange between a Rider fan and CFL Director of Officiating George Black was forwarded to me. In it, Curious George attempts to explain why three Saskatchewan Roughriders were ejected from last weekend's game in Hamilton. Hilarity ensues.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I thought you football fans might enjoy some George Black humour! This is his real response to an inquiry I made through the CFL web site.

Did anyone know that a Donnybrook is now in the CFL official rulebook? Moreover, what is a Donnybrook? How about a Brouhaha? Me thinks George is already into the Brew! lol

Without getting into the specifics, I would say to you that when a donnybrook breaks out there should be a reasonable expectation that ejections can occur. The officials are actually loathe to disqualify a player and go to great lengths to avoid ejecting, because they all understand that the fans come to see the players, not the officials. As well, they understand that sending off players can have an immense impact on a team who may lose a player at a key position. Please accept that it is taken VERY seriously. That being said, this brouhaha, unlike one earlier in the year where they waded into the fray and lost sight of the actual actions of some players, was handled properly.George R. BlackDirector of OfficiatingCanadian Football League416-865-2641gblack@cfl.ca

-----Original Message-----From: CFL.ca feedback form Sent: Thursday, October 18, 2007 4:50 PMTo: George BlackSubject: CFL Feedback: Credibility?Officiating/Ask the Ref There seems to be conflicting stories of the reasoning behind the ejections of three Rider players last game. It has been stated by Rider officials that they were ejected for piling on and pinning, which has never ever been worthy of an ejection in football history. I have also read that your response through email to others is that they were ejected for fighting although not one punch was thrown by any players. I just want to get the accurate story from the source as my respect and future participation as a fan of the CFL is at stake.Thanks,CFL Fan?

This should be a pretty exciting weekend on the local sports front. Of course, most of the attention is focused on the Saskatchewan Roughriders, who host Hamilton Sunday afternoon at Mosaic Stadium. The Riders can clinch a home playoff game either by beating Hamilton, or by having Winnipeg knock off Calgary tonight.

Man, the injuries just keep piling up for the Riders, don't they? Tailback Wes Cates is dealing with a foot injury, and of course fullback Chris Szarka will be out of the lineup for a while, recovering from surgery to reattach the tips of two fingers. This season has really been a test of the depth on the Riders' roster. And, with a record of 10-5, I'd say Mssrs. Tillman, Austin, et al are passing that test.

Of course, the Pats are also back on the ice this weekend - hosting Prince George tonight, and visiting Prince Albert tomorrow night. Two very winnable games, I would suggest. The Pats go into the weekend just one point back of Swift Current for top spot in the WHL's east division.

And, the U of R Rams travel to Winnipeg to take on the unbeaten Manitoba Bisons tomorrow. The Rams are riding a 5-game winning streak, after losing their season opener to the Bisons. This should be a great game, featuring two of the two quarterbacks in the CIS - Teale Orban of the Rams, and Regina product John Makie of the Bisons.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

The Regina Pats set their new website loose on the public today. Give it a look, and tell me what you think. I have some definite thoughts on the site, but I'll let you good folks have the first crack at commenting.

Monday, October 15, 2007

I think it's safe to say that Saskatchewan Roughrider slotback Andy Fantuz has arrived. The Fantuztic one caught 7 passes for 240 yards and 3 touchdowns to lead the Riders past Hamilton 40-23 Sunday. In the process, Fantuz likely vaulted himself into contender status for Canadian Player of the Year in the CFL's West Division. I'm thinking young Jacob will be well-pleased when he unwraps his #83 Rider retro jersey on Christmas morning! It'll make a nice complement to his autographed Fantuz bobblehead, I must say.

The Riders face Hamilton at home Sunday. A win clinches a home playoff game for the green guys. Now we wait to see what, if any punishment the league hands down to the three Riders ejected from the game - linebacker Mike McCullough and offensive linemen Mike Abou-Mechrek and Jermese Jones. Or, as heard on CJME this morning, Rob Abou-Mechrek and Jermesy Jones. Yikes.

The Regina Pats took 2 of 3 games on the weekend, but experienced a scoring drought along the way. Regina edged Kootenay 2-1 in overtime Friday night, snuck past Prince Albert 1-0 Saturday, then ran out gas in Moose Jaw Sunday night, losing 4-0. The Warriors scored all their goals in the third period, to run their winning streak to four games.

I would imagine the lack of scoring punch from any players not named Eberle has to be a concern for the Pats' braintrust. It should be.

Friday, October 12, 2007

Another action-packed weekend on the local sports scene. I was going to take the Jakester to the Pats game tonight, but we have to be at the rink at 7:30 tomorrow morning for the second round of his evaluation for Hockey Regina. Kind of an involved process for novice rec hockey, don't ya think? Anyway, I might as well get used to early weekend mornings if I'm gonna cut it as a hockey dad!

Tomorrow afternoon the Paczko boys hit the Rams game at Mosaic Stadium. With any luck I'll be able to round up a couple of post-game interviews for use on SportZone this week. That's the plan, anyway. Due to the early start to the day, we'll probably take a pass on the Pats game tomorrow night as well.

And of course, Sunday morning we return from church to watch the Riders and Ti-Cats from Hamilton. A win, coupled with a Calgary loss to Winnipeg later in the day, clinches a home playoff date for the green guys. Let the celebration begin!

And at some point this weekend I have to write a paper for my university class. Oh well, at least I can't complain about boredom!

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

I just bought two tickets for the long-awaited CFL playoff game at Mosaic Stadium next month. There's still an outside chance the Riders will host the West final on the 18th, but most likely it will be the West semi-final on the 11th. Either way, the Jakester and I will be there, in our usual seats in section 26, for the first home playoff game for the Riders since 1988.

And, considering the tickets just went on sale today for season ticket/flex pack holders, it wasn't too difficult to get through. Sure, I had to hit redial a few times, but it was well worth it. And the gal that took my order used to date an old roommate of mine. Small world, or what?

Funny story about the playoff game. This is the second year I've had season tickets with my son, who was born in 1999. He asked me a few weeks ago if the Riders were guaranteed to host a playoff game this year. No guarantee yet, I said - but it's looking good. His response? "I sure hope so dad. I've been waiting eight years for this!" Gotta love it.

Monday, October 08, 2007

Gotta love a 4-day weekend! Even better if the Jakester were around, but now I'm just getting greedy.

The Regina Pats knocked off the Moose Jaw Warriors 4-2 Friday night. The Pats had this one well in hand, until Moose Jaw scored twice in the third period to make things interesting. Sunday, the Pats travelled to Edmonton and dropped the Oil Kings 6-2. The Pats had this one well in hand, until Edmonton scored twice in the third period to make things interesting. Starting to sound familiar?

On Monday, the Pats took a 3-2 lead into the third period in Saskatoon. Then, the wheels fell completely off the bus, as the Blades scored FIVE unanswered goals to take a 7-3 decision. You think the Pats coaches will be hammering home the importance of playing all three periods in practise this week? The other question is - will the players be listening?

Still, the Pats did win three in a row, and now sport a 5-3 record on the season. Things could be worse.

The Green Bay Packers blew a 20-10 lead against the hated Chicago Bears Sunday night, losing 27-20. I really hate the Bears. The Pack's offense in the 2nd half reminded me of the Nealon Greene era with the Riders. U-G-L-Y. Still, the Packers are 4-1 and lead their division. Things could be worse.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders improved their record to 9-5, with a 33-21 victory in Calgary on Monday. Good thing the running game was clicking, because Kerry Joseph looked terrible throwing the pigskin. Joseph ended up with 290 passing yards, but only because his receivers did a great job adjusting to poorly-thrown passes. That's gotta stop.

On the positive side, the defence looks to be rounding back into form - thanks in no small part to the return of DB Eddie Davis to the active roster. Luca Congi missed a couple of field goals, but also made six of them! Next up, a home-and-home with the flailing Hamilton Tiger-Cats. This time, it would be prudent for the Riders to put away a struggling opponent if given the chance. Still, the Riders have won two in a row, and have almost sewn up a home playoff game. Again, things could be worse.

5. A profile of the Leboldus Golden Suns high school football team. Guests: Logan Gartner (OL) & Josh Bresciani (SB).

6. A profile of the O’Neill Titans high school football team. Guests: Tanner Piper (QB) & Skylar Patterson (RB). Head Coach Jason Duczek was also scheduled to appear, but the crew couldn't find him. He was sitting in the green room (where guests usually wait), about a 3 second walk from the studio. Really quite difficult to miss, actually. Sorry Jason!